The Tools Needed to Make a Wood Table

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Wood table construction should be solid and permanent. Special tools are used to create joints that will not come apart and last for many years. Some of these tools are found in every woodshop, while others have a more specific use for building tables. Wood table construction should be done with the right tools, patience and an understanding of workmanship.

Table Saw and Accessories

Table saws cut clean, straight and square, necessary properties that make table joints bond together properly. Table saws are also used in conjunction with dado blades to cut mortise and tenons. In the proper hands, a table saw can cut perfect tenons that fit tightly into channels or dadoes, also cut by the same blade. One other item used on a table saw for building tables is a carbide-tipped crosscut saw blade. This type of blade makes the cleanest cuts, and won't cause chipping, splintering or the infamous 'blow-out" that can ruin or damage a delicate table part. Another indispensable table saw accessory is the miter gauge attachment. Use this tool to cut small pieces and angles, or to trim off legs and parts at a perfect 90 degrees.

Miter Saws

Although you can cut mitered angles with the miter gauge on a table saw, many people are not comfortable doing it this way. For the best mitered angles on tabletop trim, use a power miter saw. They are adjustable to any angle, very safe and cut very cleanly. Miter saws also cut and trim at a perfect 90 degrees to make parts fit together tighter. A miter saw can cut small parts far easier than a table saw can. If you do not have a miter saw, you can also use a handheld cutting tool with a miter guide attachment. This handy tool cuts small parts cleanly, and with the miter attachment, you can also cut angles.

Doweling Jigs

Doweling jigs are also used to build tables. These handheld tools are used in conjunction with a drill to place dowels into the ends of boards, into legs or anywhere extra strength is needed to bond parts together. A doweling jig has small sleeves that guide a drill bit to an exact location. The doweling jig is locked onto the part at a marked spot, then a drill bit is inserted into a sleeve. Doweling jigs make perfectly straight holes that align with their counterpart holes on other parts. This tool is simple and affordable. You can build almost any table using only dowels to bond the joints.

Chisels, Coping Saw

Using only a few hand tools, you can make necessary adjustments or cut parts to size to make table assembly go smoothly. Chisels are indispensable for cutting tenons down to size and carving them slightly until they fit. You can use a chisel to cut the sides off of the mortise or clean the mortise by shaving it down, and you can shave off stubborn dowels that won't fit, as well. For trimming other small parts, a small coping saw is used. This very small-bladed saw can cut tiny parts cleanly to make them fit better, and it can even cut angles because it is small and easy to control.

About the Author

Specializing in hardwood furniture, trim carpentry, cabinets, home improvement and architectural millwork, Wade Shaddy has worked in homebuilding since 1972. Shaddy has also worked as a newspaper reporter and writer, and as a contributing writer for Bicycling Magazine. Shaddy began publishing in various magazines in 1992, and published a novel, “Dark Canyon,” in 2008.